Clasp



(No Model.)

J. J. UNBEHEND.

cLAsa No. 326,357. I Patented Sept. 15, 1885.

[W $55555 WVE V m UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB J. UN BEHEND, OFSYRAGUSE, NEW YORK.

CLASP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 326,357, dated September 15, 1885.

Application filed July 13,1885. (no model) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JACOB J. UNBEHEND, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Clasps, of which the following, taken' in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention has more particular reference to the style of clasps in which the tongue is hinged between two flexible plates by a camshaped hinge-pin entering between the plates and .prying the same apart when swinging the tongue toward its open position, thereby imparting the spring action to the clasp.

My invention consists, first, in the combination, with thetwo tongue supporting-plates superimposed one upon the other, and connected together at one end, of guards across the side edges of the flexible portions of said plate to retain the hinge-pin of the tongue in its proper hearings on the plates, and also prevent lateral displacement of said plates in relation to each other; and the invention also consists in a novel, simple, and effective means .for connecting together one end of the tonguesupporting plates, all as hereinafter more fully explained, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the annexed drawings, Figure I is an edge view of my improvedclasp shown in its closed position.- Fig. II is a plan view of the sam'e in its open position. Fig. III is a longitudinal section on line :0 m, Fig. II; and Figs. 1V and V are detached plan views of the tongue supporting plates.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A and A denote the tongue supporting plates, each of which is formed at its forward end,with an opening, a, for the reception of the portion of the tongue which is to be hinged on said plates, and back of said opening the respective plates are provided with a transverse slot, 0, for the reception of the strap, to which the clasp is attached in the usual and well-known manner, said strap being represented by dotted lines in Fig. II of the drawings.

The plates A and A are superimposed one upon theother, and when properly placed in position the openings at and slots 0 of the plates ,coincide with each other. The plates are firmly. connected together at their rear ends by a metallic band, d, passing through the slots 0 c, and wrapped around the rear portions of the plates to embrace the same, as best seen in Figs. II and III of the drawings; and in order to securely hold the band d in place and obviate projections on the edges of the combined plates, I provide the edges of the embraced portion of the plates with notchesn n, which serve as countersinks for the metallic band d at said edges. The plate Ais provided with depressions b b on the side adjacent to the plate A, and a proper distance from the forward end of the plate to leave projections.

e e in front of the depressions b b, which projections serve to prevent the usual slotted plate, 0, (represented by dotted lines in Fig. I of the drawings) from passing under the front end of the plate A during the operation of drawing the slotted plate over onto the plate A in closing the clasp.

The depressions b b constitute hearings or seats for the pintle or hinge-pin m of the tongue B; and in order to prevent the japan fromentering between the plates in the process of japanning the same, I extend the depressions only part way across the end portions of the plate A. I do not, however, limit myself to the location of the depressions b b in the plate A, inasmuch as they may be formed in the companion plate A, or partly in each of said plates.

The hinge-pin m is either rigidly attached to or integral with the tongue B, and is flattened or angular in cross-section, to serve as cams for impinging the two plates during the operation of swinging the tongue into its open position. to the pressure of the pintle imparts the spring action to the clasp and automatically holds the tongue in its closed position.

, In order to prevent the hinge-pin m from slipping out of the depressions or bearings b b, I arrange guards r 1' across the edges of the flexible portions of the plates adjacent to the openings at a, and respectively in front and rear of the hinge-pin, said guards being formed s The resistance of the plates A A of lips 1', formed on the plate A,.as repreother article to scntcd in Fig. IV of the drawings, which lips are bent over-at right angles to the plane of the plate, as shown in Fig. III of the drawings, and confine between them the hinge-pin n of the tongue.

If desired, the described guards r r. may be formed on the plate A or one set of said guards may be formed on each of the said plates; hence I do not wish to be restricted in that respect.

Aside from the functions ascribed to the guards r r, they also serve to prevent lateral displacement of the plates Aand A in relation to each other.

It will be observed that all of the component members of this clasp are of a shape which admits of easily stamping them outof sheet metal and striking them up into their requi site shape, and that the metal strap d constitutes a very simple and efi'ective means for tying the tongue-supporting plates A A together. This strap, if desired, may be punched to provide it with an eye, 0. coinciding with eyes in the two plates A A, for the reception of a rivet or eyelet for securing the clasp to the strap or quarter of the shoe or which the clasp is to be applied. v

Having described myinvention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 15-- 1. In a clasp, the tongue hinged between two plates, and guards across the edges of the said plates in front and rear of the hinge-pinof the tongue, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. I

2. The combinal ion, with two plates superimposed one upon the other, andflexiblefrom each other, and a tongue hinged between said plates, of guards across the side edges of the flexible portions of said plates to prevent lateral displacement of the plates in relation to each other, as set forth.

3. The tongue and its cam-shaped hinge-pin, in combination with two plates superimposed one upon the'other, connected together at one end, and provided at their free ends with bearings for the hinge-pin, and with an-opening betweensaid bearings for the reception of the tongue, and guard-lips projecting from the edges of one of the plates across those of the other plate at the side adjacent to the aforesaid opening and in front and rear of the hinge pin, substantially as described and shown.

4. In a clasp, aflexible tongue-support consisting of two plates superimposed one upon the other and connected together by a metallic band embracing the said plates at one end thereof, as set forth.

5. In a. clasp, aflexible tonguesupport consisting of two plates provided with corresponding slots, and a metallic band passing through the said slots and embracing the rear end portions of the plates to tie the same together, substantially as described and shown.

6. In combination with the tongue and its pintle the plates A and A, superimposed one upon the other, and provided at their forward portions with the opening a, bearings bb, and slots c, and at the rear portions with notches n n, and the metallic band d, embracing the rear portions of the plates and countersunk in the said notches, substantially as described and shown. e

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name and aflixed my seal, in the presence of two attesting witnesses, at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York,

this 8th day of July, 1885.

JACOB J. UNBEHEND. n s.]

'Witnesscs;

, FREDERICK H. GIBBs, E. G. Cannon. 

